Why Catholic church attendance is falling off

The reasoning behind the Catholic commitment to the secrecy of the confessional, it would seem, are not strong.

Many Catholics and even some Protestants might disagree with the classification of Archbishop Commensoli as putting his church’s beliefs ahead of even common human decency. But other churches have done likewise, Commensoli, along with several others, was against the legalisation of gay marriage. This was a community that had suffered persecution from time immemorial. Although only a small minority, homosexuality is a natural occurrence, and had every right to be treated the same way as others were treated. They needed help. The Australian public gave them that help. Not so most churches.

Other areas where Commensoli, supported by his church, is increasingly distancing himself from the everyday Catholic is on women’s issues. An outspoken nun, Sister Joan Chittister, a US author, feminist and advocate of church reform, was stopped from speaking at a conference soon after he learnt of plans to include her.

The Archbishop faced a backlash from rank-and-file Catholics,  As we approach the third decade of the twenty first century, we have come to believe that women have an equal role to play in our political and social structures, One of our political parties has been under considerable fire for not giving a stronger role to women   But the question of church reform, is not only a Commensoli issue, it is an issue throughout the church. Others have contrasted Sister Joan's treatment to the support Archbishop Fisher recently gave to former rugby star Israel Falou's right to free speech. “One hopes that the freedoms advocated for Folau be also extended to Joan Chittister,” Sister Patty Fawkner, the Congregational Leader of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan wrote in an online article recently. “This would certainly help us move towards an adult Church.”

Many, if not most of us, have come to believe that the sexual abuse problem is due to the celibacy vows of Catholic prelates. The Vatican says no, but other senior officials say yes. Perth's Catholic Archbishop Timothy Costelloe says the vow of celibacy contributed to "many cases" of child sexual abuse by Australian priests. He was giving evidence to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Sydney. His comments were at odds with those of Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher. This opinion piece writer certainly believes that celibacy is a major contributing cause .

Church fathers throughout the centuries have laid down the law. They have told us what to believe, they have persecuted otherwise good people, describing them as heretics, and at times executing them in large numbers, Those days are gone.  The world may not have reached the pinnacle of its development, but it has moved beyond the stage that a group of men, and only men, can dictate to their followers on what they should believe.